Sales Leadership: Do’s & Don’ts for 2015

Sales leadership is a pre-requisite for every top sales professional’s success today. We still find many sales professionals who are hesitant to sell their products with confidence. The reason for this isn’t their lack of knowledge but their lack of leadership. They just can’t connect with the customer as efficiently as is necessary. And it instills the fear of customer dissatisfaction in their minds.

As a sales leader, a person must be able to help others see opportunities they won’t normally see. It is his job to show others the bright side of the picture and confidently so, no matter if it’s his team or a potential customer. The position of a sales leader in the market is a very crucial one but unfortunately, not many of us are familiar with the technicalities of sales leadership. Not to worry, let us walk you through some of its basics:

Appearance:

This is the first aspect in the personality of a sales leader. This is what gives out an aura about you. In our opinion, first impression isn’t the last impression but a very lasting impression. Hence, one needs to dress properly in accordance with the work climate he’s in. This matters a lot but unfortunately, often overlooked by many sales professionals. The way one dresses tells a lot about his personality so wear decent bright colors to freshen the mood up, put on your best cologne and tighten up those oxfords because you’re ready to lead on.

[Tweet “A good appearance, a confident personality and ability to understand your prospects is a must for a successful sales professional career.”]Body Language:

Once your prospect gets over evaluating your overall appearance, the thing which would further give you leverage over your competitors is your body language. This is crucial, as most of the times, this is the deciding factor for your prospect whether to buy or not. Mark Hunter of the Sales Hunter writes that he once came across a retail store salesperson who was unable to close the deal because he had no confidence and was very uncomfortable talking to someone who might as well be twice his age. How do we get over this? Here are a few tips to keep your body language proper and in control:

Position your body towards your buyer: This shows your respect for the buyer and that you’re fully attentive to whatever he’s saying.

Maintain an upright posture: Leaning on forward gives out a very negative vibe about you so no matter if you sit or stand, make sure you’re in an upright position.

Do not fold your arms: This has a psychological effect which makes the other person think that you’re not open to his suggestion. It increases the communication gap b/w two parties.

Use hand and bodily gestures where appropriate: Careful! You do not want to overuse them and make a mockery out of yourself.
..and last but not the least:

Smile: It washes your nervousness away and as they say, is very contagious so if you succeed in making your prospect smile as well, you have an increased chance of landing the deal.

Sales Leadership encloses a simple set of principles which can take your sales sky high.

The DO’s and Don’ts of sales leadership:
Lastly, we shall discuss sales leadership in terms of its do’s and don’ts respectively, through which we would be able to understand its specification in a magnified manner.

The Do’s:

Come up with performance metrics which maps the team’s progress as well as results.

Be utterly confident in what you say and do. Don’t let the fear of unknown startle you.

Have a vision for the entire team. This would help them see their goals clearly and definitively.

Prospect talent and coach your sales team relentlessly as a good leader doesn’t produce followers but more leaders. Train your team-mates to become better sales leaders.

Create value in your sales process by having insightful interactions with your customers.

Help your team understand their team goals properly.

Motivate yourself and your team with rewards. This reinforces your team’s faith in the work they do.

The Don’ts:

Never be rude towards your team or customers.

Never take any achievement for granted no matter how small it is. It might prove to be a pivotal point for your biggest endeavor.

Do not bully any of your team mates.

Do not be timid; learn to be bold and daring.

Do not live in a fool’s world. Deal with realities in a real world-ish manner.

These were a few Sales Leadership tips and tricks to do it right.

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Hasan considers Fileboard his second home and is working here as an inbound marketing expert.
He has an academic background in traditional finance; however, his work experience from quite a long time revolves around startups, digital marketing and advertising.